Iran state TV hacked to show footage of country’s exiled prince

The exiled crown prince called on the regime’s security forces to defect to the protesters.

Published: January 19, 2026 10:03pm

Iranian state television channels were hacked on Sunday to display a message from the country’s exiled crown prince who has called on citizens to resist the Islamic Republic regime. 

Two video clips of the Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi, were shown alongside a message calling on the regime’s security forces to side with the people, multiple outlets reported

"Don't point your weapons at the people. Join the nation for the freedom of Iran," one graphic read, according to a translation by the Associated Press

"I have a special message for the military. You are the national army of Iran, not the Islamic Republic army," Pahlavi said in one broadcast. "You have a duty to protect your own lives. You don’t have much time left. Join the people as soon as possible."

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said that the protests in Iran continued on Monday, the 22nd day since the uprisings began. The group also reported at least 24,669 arrests and the confirmed deaths of 3,919 Iranians in the regime’s violent crackdown.

President Donald Trump is also still reportedly weighing military action against Iran after he previously warned the regime against killing protesters.  

The regime’s semiofficial Fars news agency, believed to be associated with the regime's chief security force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that the signal in “some areas of the country was momentarily disrupted by an unknown source,” but did not report what had been aired, according to Politico

Limited internet connectivity was restored in Iran on Monday, however, the access to content remains tightly filtered, digital rights monitors told Fox News. Earlier this month, Iranian authorities completely cut the country’s internet access amid escalating protests to prevent footage from spreading abroad and to other areas of the country. 

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